Kevin Towers was fed up. For the second season in a row, were stealing bases at a major-league high rate against his Padres.

"We have to find a catcher who can throw," the club's general manager said on June 26. ".... It puts us at a huge disadvantage when a single turns into a double or triple."

Nine days later, the Padres promoted catcher Nick Hundley from Triple-A Portland with the expectation that Hundley would apprehend thieves.

Hundley wasn't expected to throw like a young Pudge Rodriguez, but he has nabbed 29 percent of would-be base-stealers (5-of-17). "He's also been a deterrent," said Padres bench coach Craig Colbert, a former major catcher.

Several of Hundley's throws to second base have been clocked at 1.83 to 2.05 seconds. The major league average is 2.00 to 2.05 seconds.

"I love the challenge," said Hundley, who probably will be tested by speedy Mets players such as Jose Reyes during a three-game series that begins tonight at Shea Stadium. "It's competition. I love that feeling you get when you know they want to run."

The Padres' throw-out rate before Hundley arrived was a majors-low 12 percent, which Manager Bud Black blamed largely on slow deliveries by Padres pitchers. The team's other catcher, Josh Bard, had improved his throwing in May, shortly before he went on the disabled list for two months. But throwing isn't his strength. Saturday, for example, Bard's two throws to second were clocked at 2.2 to 2.33 seconds.

At Triple-A, Hundley caught 23-of-60 would-be base-stealers.

“I've worked hard at it," he said. "This offseason, I really tried to refine my footwork and be efficient with my moves, and be as quick as I can. The coaches helped me a lot."

Hundley's work ethic is another strength, according to Padres personnel.

"He's the kind of guy who will have four medicine balls in his bedroom and work on doing crunches all night," said Padres left-fielder Chase Headley, a roommate of Hundley's the last three years. "I don't think I've been around anyone who works harder."

Hundley's mentors include his father Tim, a longtime college football coach who is June Jones' defensive coordinator at Southern Methodist.

"I've got to get better every single day," Nick said, "or other guys will pass me by."

How far the 24-year-old can go as a major leaguer may depend on how much he improves his hitting and catching.

A right-handed hitter, Hundley can pound mistakes, but the flip side of his solid .451 slugging percentage in his minor-league career was a so-so .336 on-base percentage, including a .285 OBP in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this year. He has batted .228 in 57 at-bats for the Padres, with two home runs, 19 strikeouts and two walks.

He has improved greatly as a receiver since his first professional season, when he had a league-high 14 passed balls and seven errors in 40 games. He had 18 passed balls the following year, in 99 Single-A games.

"It was a mental thing of adjusting to professional ball," he said. "I wasn't used to playing every day."